The present invention relates to techniques for accessing textual information stored in an electronic memory and for providing simplified and more flexible text accessing techniques to the user.
More particularly, the present invention relates to an electronically stored text in a hand-held device having a keyboard and screen wherein various keys in distinct sequences may be actuated to interactively provide different modes for analyzing the text. The device is programmed to minimize user interaction in a number of such modes.
Electronic devices for providing word-related operation and manipulation are known. Such devices, such as the Electronic Spelling Machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,618, include a keyboard, screen and permanent electronic storage, i.e., a read-only memory. Techniques for the retrieval of individual words, however, are not necessarily appropriate when dealing with electronic storage of a complete comprehensive text.
When considering the presentation of a full text, such as the Bible, in a hand-held machine intended for personal and repeated use, it is important to provide techniques which avoid excessive keyboard manipulation and at the same time provide a variety of approaches for accessing, using and reusing the stored text.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simplified but varied and effective technique for accessing electronically stored textual information.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a technique in a hand-held text storage machine.
In accordance with the invention, in a method for providing user access to stored textual information in an electronic book, the method having search and read modes of access, the improvement comprises providing simplified and more flexible user operation steps. These steps include selecting search or read mode automatically, accommodating different syntax formulations of an entry word or phrase in the read mode, optionally expanding searches to cover different forms of the same word and unrelated words having the same meaning, providing the capability of tagging a preselected location in the text for simplified access during reacquisition of textual information, providing a map of different fixed locations on the screen corresponding to respective different portions of the text, providing assistance to the user upon request which takes into account the current operational phase and visually indicating specific words of a search request to which a search will be limited.
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description and accompanying drawings while the scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.